Miss Minerva and William Green Hill eBook

“And if he ain’t ’bout the sickest
kid they is,” declared Jimmy; “I’ll
betcher he won’t get fresh no more soon.
He telled me the other day he ain’t had a drink
of soda water this summer, ’cause every nickel
he gets got to go to Mr. Pastor’s sal’ry;
he says he plumb tired supporting Brother Johnson
and all his family; and, he say, every time he go
up town he sees Johnny Johnson a-setting on a stool
in Baltzer’s drug store just a-swigging milk-shakes;
he says he going to knock him off some day ’cause
it’s his nickels that kid’s a-spending.”

There was a short silence, broken by Billy, who remarked,
apropos of nothing:

“I sho’ is glad I don’t hafter be
a ’oman when I puts on long pants, mens is heap
mo’ account.”

“I wouldn’t be a woman for nothing at
all,” Jimmy fully agreed with him; “they
have the pokiest time they is.”

“I’m glad I am going to be a young lady
when I grow up,” Lina declared, “I wouldn’t
be a gentleman for anything. I’m going
to wear pretty clothes and be beautiful and be a belle
like mother was, and have lots of lovers kneel at
my feet on one knee and play the guitar with the other.”

“How they goin’ to play the guitar with
they other knee?” asked the practical Billy.

“I don’t want to be a lady,” declared
Frances; “they can’t ever ride straddle
nor climb a tree, and they got to squinch up their
waists and toes. I wish I could kiss my elbow
right now and turn to a boy.”

CHAPTER XXVI

Unconditionalsurrender

“They’s going to be a big nigger ’scursion
to Memphis at ’leven o’clock,” said
Jimmy as he met the other little boy at the dividing
fence; “Sam Lamb’s going and ’most
all the niggers they is. Sarah Jane ’lowed
she’s going, but she ain’t got nobody to
’tend to Bennie Dick. Wouldn’t you
like to go, Billy?”

“Sam Lamb’d take care of us if we could
go,” continued Jimmy. “Let’s
slip off and go down to the depot and see the niggers
get on. There’ll be ’bout a million.”

Billy’s eyes sparkled with appreciation.

“I sho’ wish I could,” he said;”
but Aunt Minerva’d make me stay in bed a whole
week if I want near the railroad.”

“My mama ’d gimme ’bout a million
licks, too, if I projeckted with a nigger ’scursion
she ’bout the spankingest woman they is.
My papa put some burnt cork on his face in the Knights
er Pythi’s minstrels and I know where we can
get some to make us black; you go get Miss Minerva’s
ink bottle too, that’ll help some, and get some
matches, and I’ll go get the cork and we can
go to Sarah Jane’s house and make usselfs black.”